!!!Franz Ferdinand, Erzherzog von Österreich-Este

b. Graz (Styria), Dec. 18, 1863, 
d. Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), June 28, 1914; son of Archduke 
Karl Ludwig, nephew of Emperor  Franz Joseph I. The death of crown 
prince Rudolf in 1889 and of his father in 1896 made him next in 
succession to the throne, but was forced to renounce his children's 
rights to the throne (children with Countess Sophie  Chotek). In 1898 
he became the Emperor's deputy in the supreme army command, was 
appointed inspector general of the armed forces in 1913 and was 
particularly interested in promoting the navy; wielded little 
political power. He aimed at eliminating Hungary's privileged position 
among the countries of the monarchy and sought to reach a compromise 
with the Slavs. His political orientation was characterized by a 
strictly conservative and authoritarian attitude. One outstanding 
characteristic was his extreme passion for hunting. The assassination 
of F. F. and his wife was the immediate cause of the outbreak of  
World War I. Information about his life is given at the Franz 
Ferdinand Museum in Artstetten Palace (Lower Austria).

!Literature
G. Holler, F. F. v. Oesterreich-Este, 1982; F. 
Weissensteiner, F. F. Der verhinderte Herrscher, 1983; M. Polatschek, 
F. F., Europas verlorene Hoffnung, 1989; B. Hamann, Die Habsburger, 
%%sup 4/%1993; W. Aichelburg, Erzherzog F. F. von Oesterreich-Este und 
Artstetten, 2000.



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